On Wednesday, April 17 Chaminade University had its 19th annual Co-Curricular award ceremony. This is a time for the university to show appreciation for the students that are going above and beyond for being involved in campus life. Chaminade’s mission is to educate all the students in a collaborative environment that will prepare the students for their life, service, and successful careers.
Isaiah Atalig a junior majoring in Forensic Science with a minor in Chemistry won two awards this past Wednesday at the ceremony. He is very involved with campus by being involved with cultural clubs by being president of Tao Tao Marianas Club, Campus Ministry, and an orientation leader. He is also active in Restauranteers Club.
Atalig was recognized for being an outstanding Retreat Leader and won the Retreat Leader of the Year award this past Wednesday. This award is decided by Campus Ministry. Some of the benefits of the retreat is finding a deeper sense of community within Chaminade University. As well as strengthening your faith or starting your faith journey.
“I am very thankful, and being a retreat leader is something I want to do again,” Atalig said. “I learned to be myself and will carry that with me in the future.”
The second award that Atalig won was the Frederick K.K. Kauhane, Sr. Aloha Spirit Award, which is awarded to a student who exhibits a humble, cheerful, and generous spirit on campus.
“This award really caught me by surprise,” Atalig said.
17 awards were given out to students that were athletes, students involved with Campus Ministry, peer mentors, orientation leaders, and resident assistants. The awards were presented by Campus Ministry, Office of Student Engagement, Residence Life, Advising, Student Success, and Athletics Department.
Many students were nominated and all gathered to celebrate being nominated and the official winners of the different awards. With the ceremony the students are provided with a dinner and time to mingle with one another.
There is an award that is dedicated to a legacy individual that has provided many services to Chaminade in their lifetime. That award is the Bro. Joseph Becker Award of Excellence, which was handed out to three students this year. Those students would be Selena Buttery (sophomore), Tyanna Hemmings (junior), and Pamela Oda (senior). Bro. Joseph Becker was one of the founders of Chaminade University, and was known for bringing fun to the campus.
Being involved on campus opens up many possibilities for students and helps students find their group of people. All of these offices and groups provide resources for all students at Chaminade whether they live on campus or commute.
The RA who won the Resident Assistant Award of Excellence this year, was Epifania Petelo, who is graduating this May with a degree in Business Administration. Petelo is from American Samoa, and has been a RA for three semesters. Petelo’s first time being a RA was for the spring semester of 2023 and was in the Waialae Apartments. This academic year she has been one of the RAs for Kieffer Hall.
“Being an RA helped me to see different perspectives and personalities in people,” Petelo said. “I took this role to get to know the community, and wanted to get to know the students more. I was surprised and grateful to win this award.”